'I Love My Job,' Declares Dressed-Down Best Actress Winner Frances McDormand

Frances McDormand avoided the press during her run in Good People, and the Oscar-winning actress remained her uniquely quirky self at the 2011 Tony Awards, wearing a jean jacket over a striped knit dress to accept the award for Best Actress in a Play.

“The last time I was at the Beacon Theatre, Gregg Allman played right there after his liver transplant,” she began, to loud laughter. Growing more serious, McDormand accepted her award on behalf of the entire cast of Good People, noting, “We have the great good fortune to help David Lindsay-Abaire realize his new play. We all believe it is an American classic. I really, sincerely thank you for this, because I love my job.”

Emphasizing her lifelong love of theater, McDormand added, “I have played O’Neill, Racine, Stella and Blanche [in A Streetcar Named Desire] and all three of Chekhov’s sisters, and now Margy Walsh. This means more to me than you may know.”